NHS chiefs say a healthcare shake-up in Hinckley based around the closure of Mount Road Hospital will protect the future of services in the town, not diminish them.

Bosses at West Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) have spoken out in defence of their proposals in the wake of a major campaign to save the former cottage hospital.

They say they are acting now to improve and enhance services in the area so they meet not only the needs of the current population but will support upcoming challenges and benefit future generations.

Darren Jackson, GP at Barwell and Hollycroft Medical Centre and clinical lead at the CCG, said: “People in Hinckley and Bosworth deserve healthcare that not only meets their needs now but also their needs in the future. We need buildings, equipment and ways of working which keep pace with the advances in treatments, care and best medical practice and deliver the best for my patients and all the residents of Hinckley and Bosworth.”

For many months the CCG has been consulting with patients, carers, health professionals, councillors and community representatives to get a feeling for what matters most to local people.

Now the body, which plans and pays for NHS services in the borough, together with the help of the community, needs to confirm what those changes should be. A major public consultation will be launched later this year.

The CCG say they have identified ways they think services could be provided in a much better way, in modern, local facilities which will benefit patients, supporting them to keep well and recover as fully as possible.

Hinckley and District Hospital in Mount Road which looks set to close with services being transferred elsewhere. Campaigners are trying to save the Victorian building and ensure services are expanded, not reduced.

Changes under consideration include - increasing outpatient clinics at the Hinckley Health Centre, making way for the introduction of bowel and other types of cancer screening locally, moving all outpatient services like X-ray and ultrasound potentially into the Hinckley Health Centre, moving endoscopy services to either Hinckley Health Centre or Hinckley and Bosworth Community Hospital and moving day surgery cases requiring local anaesthetic to the Hinckley Health Centre or Hinckley and Bosworth Community Hospital.

All of this results in the closure of Mount Road Hospital, which the CCG say is ‘not fit for purpose’ as constraints of the building means services such as endoscopy and piped gas anaesthesia cannot be delivered there.

Caroline Trevithick, CCG chief nurse, said the viability of modernising Hinckley and District Hospital had been reviewed and dismissed, adding: “We think the practical difficulties and costs involved just don’t add up. People tell us it’s more important to them the availability of services is increased locally and we are keen to increase outpatient clinics in the area and introduce bowel and other types of cancer screening locally, screening which is not possible in the current building on Mount Road.

“We understand the love that people have for the building but we believe the advantages of improving and expanding services will provide many more benefits for patients than a costly conversion.”

Under the proposals the only services moving out of Hinckley would be operations currently done at Mount Road requiring general anaesthetic.

Hinckley and District Hospital in Mount Road which looks set to close with services being transferred elsewhere. Campaigners are trying to save the Victorian building and ensure services are expanded, not reduced.

Meanwhile, campaigners calling for Hinckley and District Hospital to remain at the centre of health services in the town are holding a public meeting this week.

The meeting being run by members of the Save Our Hinckley Cottage Hospital - Action Group will take place at The Greyhound pub in New Buildings, Hinckley, on Friday July 1, from 7pm to 9pm.

Lynda Gibbs, from the group, said: “We are calling this ‘next steps’ and we are inviting anyone who supports this fight to come along and pledge some of their time and bring along any ideas. We will also be keeping people up to date with the campaign so far and plans for the future.”

The Victorian building has been labelled ‘not fit for purpose’ due to difficulties in providing modern anaesthetic and cancer screening techniques.

Proposals to re-arrange health services in the town and close the hospital will be put out to public consultation soon by West Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, the body which pays for and plans NHS services for Hinckley and Bosworth.